MSU Denver MSUD 6-1,1-0 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 5-4,0-1 RMAC

MSU Denver MSUD

6-1,1-0 RMAC

Final

Dec. 05, 2024

Fort Lewis FLC

5-4,0-1 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
MSU Denver MSUD	31	34	65
Fort Lewis FLC	22	26	48

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Aiden Gibson (14) elevates over a Roadrunner at the cup for a layup in Whalen Gymnasium (Dec. 5, 2024)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/5/2024 10:33:00 PM | Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

Roadrunners race past Skyhawks in conference debut

Fort Lewis shoots 28.6 percent from the field

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis men's basketball team (5-4, 0-1 RMAC) scored the fewest points in program history on Thursday night in Whalen Gymnasium, falling to MSU Denver (6-1, 1-0 RMAC) 65-49 in both squad's 2024-25 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener.

"We played for ourselves tonight and not each other," head coach Jordan Mast commented. "Defensively, I thought we played okay, forced some turnovers, and created opportunities for ourselves. However, we took too many individual shots one-on-one early in the shot clock, leaving us defending for a good portion of the game."

The Skyhawks shot a season-low 28.6 percent from the field, knocking down only 16 field goals in 56 attempts. MSU Denver, however, shot a comfortable 48.9 percent for the contest and went 13-for-16 at the free throw line whereas Fort Lewis finished the night 11-for-21. The Roadrunners were also 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc.

MSU Denver exploded at the tip, scoring 12 unanswered points across five minutes to open the contest, while FLC missed eight consecutive shots. Despite the Roadrunners leaping out to a 28-5 lead on a layup from Caleb McGill, who finished with 10 points and a pair of game-highs with seven rebounds and three blocks, MSUD scored only three points through the final eight minutes of the half allowed the Skyhawks to claw back to a 31-22 deficit on a jumper from Tru Allen.

Fort Lewis was aggressive out of the locker room, and the pressure paid off with the Skyhawks cutting the deficit to six points on three occasions and lastly when Stewart Erhart rose up for a tip-in layup in the post. From then on, however, MSU Denver hit its stride once more and ran off to a 23-point advantage on a heat-check trey from Sufyan Elkannan, whose 4-of-5 clip from deep led him to a game-high 16 points. Brayden Carter and Quave Propst-Allison each added 12 points to round out the Roadrunners in double figures.

The Roadrunners outrebounded the Skyhawks 38-30, blocked four shots, and dominated in the post with 32 points in the paint to Fort Lewis' 22. MSU Denver's bench also out-scored FLC's 22 to 14. The Skyhawks won the turnover battle narrowly, 18 to 11.

Postgame Notes
-Fort Lewis' 48 points mark the fewest scored in a game in program history since the Skyhawks scored 50 points against Utah Tech back on Feb. 16, 2019.
-The Skyhawks' 16 made field goals are the second-fewest in program history and tie the same mark scored against St. Mary's (Texas) on Mar. 17, 2013.
-Biko Johnson scoring 13 points is the first time a single Skyhawk has finished in double figures since Akuel Kot scored 27 at CSU Pueblo on Dec. 10, 2022.
-AJ Riggs scored a career-high five points.
-Aiden Gibson scored a career-high four points.
-Nathan Penney scored his first career points going 2-2 at the free throw line.

Up Next
Fort Lewis turns its attention to this Saturday, Dec. 7, as the Skyhawks host the Rangers from Regis (3-4, 1-0 RMAC), who downed New Mexico Highlands (6-2, 0-1 RMAC) 96-85 tonight, for a 3 p.m. tip-off and FLC's Ugly Sweater and Durango Santa game.

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